PCE CD ROM Not Reading CDRs

[GohanX]

I'm having a little issue with one of my CD drives, it doesn't seem to want to read CDR games. Now, I mostly play originals, which play fine, but I would really like to play the Dracula X and Ys 4 translations.

The weird thing is that if I put the disc in and play it as an audio CD it will play the audio tracks just fine, but when I press RUN to start the game it just hangs. I've tried reburning the disc onto Taiyo Yudens, with no luck. The same disc works fine in my Turbo CD drive.

Is there anything I can do? I was wondering if adjusting any of the pots would have any effect, but I didn't want to go in there and start adjusting blindly, and most of the threads I found while searching talked about adjusting a Duo laser, and not the regular PCE drive.

[NightWolve]

I'd try some other CD-R brands first before messing with those pots. Make sure to burn them at the slowest possible speed that your burner allows as well.

[Tatsujin]

Pro tip: don't use CD-R's at all :idea:

[Necromancer]

Pro tip: don't use CD-R's at all :idea:

How else is he going to play translations?  Emulator?  f*ck that.

[GohanX]

I'd try some other CD-R brands first before messing with those pots. Make sure to burn them at the slowest possible speed that your burner allows as well.

The first one I tried was some crappy generic kind, then I went straight for Taiyo Yudens. No joy. Burned at 4x, the slowest my drive can go. I do have some Memorex Lightscribe discs laying around that I could try.

[Tatsujin]

Pro tip: don't use CD-R's at all :idea:

How else is he going to play translations?  Emulator?  f*ck that.

one can't have both..working 25year old CD-ROMs on CD-R steroids and translations. one must decide.

[jperryss]

one can't have both..working 25year old CD-ROMs on CD-R steroids and translations. one must decide.

Many of us have been doing just that for years.

[bishopcruz]

Well, my Drac X translation seems to be working fine on my newish Duo. The 3-in-1 disc not so much, music cut out at points in Gates of Thunder for example. Gonna try my Xak III burn soon and see how that goes.

[Keith Courage]

Lots of times when audio tracks cut out it is due to a bad game rip. Meaning someone did not use turborip. 

[GohanX]

I was talking to Steve in chat, and I seem to have fixed it. I adjusted the pot on the laser just a hair, and the Drac X CDR loads perfectly. It may be my imagination, but I think the load times on real CDs are a hair faster as well.

[ClodBuster]

I'm only familiar with the Turbo Duo, but I still would like to know, which of the pots have been adjusted?

Since I'm experiencing a similar issue with my Duo: It refuses to load burned media (tried different CD-R brands and burning devices) that I ripped from my original copy of Ys 4 using Turbo Rip. The system startup screen then shows a place disc error or load disc error.

Heck, even with the original CDs, my Duo sometimes has trouble reading them. This manifests in not being able to advance from the game's title screen or sudden muting of CD BGM, until the next song is selected by the game.

The Turbo Duo has been fully recapped recently. All original discs are in flawless condition. The laser lens itself has been cleaned.

Just in case, I've already a replacement HOP-M3 laser pickup unit ready amongst my spares. But beforehand I would like to know if some pot adjustments might be able to solve my problem.

[Keith Courage]

On a DUO I would try turning the V102 Pot counter clockwise just slightly. Also, make sure to clean that lens and clean any dirt off of the lens rails.

[ClodBuster]

Thanks, I'm looking forward to give it a try. I've also been reading through the Duo laser replacement/pot adjustment guide. I'll have a printed copy of that guide right next to me when I'm doing the repair.

[NightWolve]

I was talking to Steve in chat, and I seem to have fixed it. I adjusted the pot on the laser just a hair, and the Drac X CDR loads perfectly. It may be my imagination, but I think the load times on real CDs are a hair faster as well.

Ah awesome, risky, but glad it worked out. If you had steve as copilot, odds were more in your favor of course. The other protip is the regreasing of the slider pole for what Keith mentioned. When redbook audio tracks cut out and don't resume until the next scene change, event, etc. or reboot, it's time to get that 20+ year old grease off and apply some fresh white lithium type on. Restore the agility of the laser for its sliding. Too much friction, you start to get the skips, misreads, etc.

[GohanX]

It actually had some fresh grease on it, and when I bought it I was told it had one of Keith's replacement gears on it. Sure enough, new gear, new grease. If the laser holds out this thing should be good for a long time.